


Youngest

by tiredRobin



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Menstrual Cycle, Trans Max (Camp Camp), every max i write is trans, it is not immediately or even subtly apparent in any way but also, jokes and jeers babey, sometimes friends are mean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 04:06:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16485620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiredRobin/pseuds/tiredRobin
Summary: “Yourperiod?”“Yeah!” Nikki exclaims. “It’s when you bleed from your vagina and cry a lot!”“Oh my god,” Max says, “weknewthat,” he actually hadn’t, “you don’t have to say that out loud.”





	Youngest

“Your _period?”_

“Yeah!” Nikki exclaims. “It’s when you bleed from your vagina and cry a lot!” 

“Oh my god,” Max says, “we _knew_ that,” he actually hadn’t, “you don’t have to say that out loud.”

“Your _PERIOD?!”_ Neil shouts again, more aggravated. “When—did—what? What? Did my—“

“Your potion made me become a woman!”

_”Oh my god!”_

“Oh my god,” Max echoes, although his is still deadpan rather than frantic. “Neil, calm the fuck down before you have an anxiety attack.”

“Too late,” Neil gasps. His breathing is getting a little heavy. Rolling his eyes, Max reaches out and pats his arm twice in comfort, muttering something about _deep breaths or some shit, idiot_ that Neil actually listens to. Air shudders unsteadily in and out of his lungs. “What the _fuck.”_

“It’s called puberty, dumbass.”

“It doesn’t usually hit so early, though! I jump-started her puberty!”

Nikki pauses, tilting her head in confusion. “How old does it usually start?”

“I don’t know!” Neil throws his arms in the air. He’s still visibly freaking out. “How old are you? Nine?!”

“I’m eleven, actually.”

“Oh.” Neil’s arms lower and his breath starts to even out a bit as he processes this information, expression going from angrily frantic to considering and contemplative. “Huh. Okay, maybe that’s about right? I don’t know.”

Max frowns. “You’re eleven?”

“Yeah! Mom acts like I’m seven, though. She’s forgotten a few birthdays.”

“That’s messed up,” Neil says, tone vaguely sympathetic.

Nikki shrugs. “Eh, whatever. I’ll just tax her when I’m older. Milk a few extra years off her, have her think I’m younger than I am so I can keep asking for money and junk.”

“Ooh, smart.” Neil nods sagely. 

“How old are _you,_ Neil?”

“Me? I’m twelve, why?”

Max blinks at him. His expression is a bit hard to place, hovering somewhere between surprised and... something else, nothing Neil can quite nail down, but it’s a little akin to annoyance. “Jesus Christ,” Max says finally. “I just thought you were a tall ten-year-old, not a kinda short twelve-year-old.”

“Ow! I’m not short!”

Max snickers. “Sure you aren’t.”

“Hey!” Nikki practically jumps between them. “Max! This means you’re the youngest!”

“What?!”

“You’re the baby of the family!” she cries, grinning widely. Neil glances between her and a flabbergasted Max, a smile starting to grow on his features as well. “You’re a baby!”

“What the hell, Nikki! I’m not—“

“Excuse you!” Neil barks. “Watch your language, young man. You ought to respect your elders.” Nikki starts laughing at that, throwing her head back. 

_”Jesus_ fucking _Christ,”_ Max bites out. He’s glaring between them now.

“You know,” Nikki says between giggles, “we should’a—we should’a known he was the youngest, he’s so _short!”_

“Shut the fuck up! You’re shorter than me!”

Neil is laughing now, too. “Yeah! it’s so obvious, oh my god. And he—have you seen his teddybear? He still sleeps with one!”

And just like that Max’s expression goes from increasingly agitated to blank. The transition is so abrupt, so startlingly unexpected, that Neil almost physically stumbles at the sight of it. _Stony_ couldn’t even begin to describe the hardness of it; his eyes are just suddenly empty, like he’s yanked over a mask.

Nikki doesn’t seem to notice. She’s laughing even harder. 

“Ha ha,” Max says. His tone is flat, batting its way through Nikki’s hysterics. “You’re right, that’s really funny.” 

And then he turns around and walks away, and Neil’s laughter has died on his lips, and Nikki’s giggles putter slowly into silence when she finally notices that Max is already a dozen yards away. Neil isn’t sure, but he thinks Max has picked up his pace, getting farther faster and faster. 

He isn’t sure, but just before Max disappears down the turn of the trail that leads to the tents, Neil thinks he sees him lift an arm to wipe at his face. 

There is no kicked up dust with the quick escape, nothing choking the air, but Neil and Nikki both feel something thick and heavy dropping down to hang invisibly around them. It is a weight that grows as the mirthless silence between them wraps itself around their throats.

Nikki is the first to break it, coughing lightly into her hand. “Is he upset?” she asks, uncertain.

“Dunno,” Neil lies. 

“Hah,” she says, more of a forced huff than a laugh. “What a baby.”

“...Y-yeah.” Neil hasn’t stopped staring off where Max had gone. 

Quiet, again. Neil thinks about that time they had all laughed at Max and the stuffed bear Gwen had chucked at him. it’s been funny then, too; and then it had been forgotten again, the bear never seen after the incident just as Neil had never seen it before that day, either. 

“Hm.” Nikki is looking at the dirt, digging the toe of her shoe into it. “... Maybe that was a lil’ mean.”

“Yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

> i went back and made it so everything has, like, caps! and junk!!! wooo. also fixed a few sentences
> 
> points at the trans max tag. that’s just personal preference, lol. and i was thinking about how the third paragraph is max straight up not knowing what a period actually is/involves and i (does a lil shimmy) his parents :) dont tell him shit :) kinda like how nikkis mom didnt tell nikki shit!!!! whY DO ALL THESE KIDS HAVE QUESTIONABLE/BAD PARENTS!!1!111 EXCUSE ME?? hello 911 please let me adopt everyone thank y
> 
> i love all of them so much ok. ok!
> 
> thank you for reading! comments are appreciated ;)


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